» SPRINg newsletter - SEPTEMBER 2009

Recent Developments

New Jetranger
Our new Jetranger is on line at last. N365KU has become VH-EXY, and is available for training or charter. It's one of the last Jetrangers off the production line, with Bose headsets for maximum passenger comfort, and is a delight to fly.

Remote Location Training - Orange
The new training location is up and running in Orange. We will be providing the full range of training at Orange, and will have R22s and R44s available.

We have our own hangar all fitted out with a professional classroom and office. Instructors are making the trip up from our Bankstown base each week and we already have a good group of students organised.

From the Instructors

Milestones Achieved

Helicopter Flight Reviews, often known as Biennial Flight Reviews or BFRs, are everyone's favourite flying activity - right up there with autos and having your teeth drilled. Although they're mandatory, there is a way out ... you can do something else that CASA will accept instead of a BFR.

If you add a rating or endorsement conducted by one of our Grade 1 instructors, CASA will happily accept that instead of a BFR, and you can gain new skills along the way. An endorsement on the R44 or Jetranger, or a Night VFR rating ... there are lots of things you can do to expand your flying options in a way which covers the requirement for a BFR.

In any case, you'll need your licence, logbook and a current medical, appropriate to your licence (Class 1 medical for CPL, Class 2 for PPL).

Perhaps the most important part of a BFR is preparation. It can make this mandatory CASA requirement a profitable activity; certainly an opportunity to learn something useful, and you might even have some fun !

Talk with your instructor about anything you'd like to cover as part of the review. e.g. If you haven't been into controlled airspace for a while, why not plan and conduct a flight to Sydney as part of the BFR. Rules for CTAF and CTAF(R)s seem to change every week sometimes. Hoxton Park is no longer available, but there are plenty of other opportunities to practice the latest aerodrome procedures.

Please do your pre-lesson preparation. If you've read the briefing notes and looked over a helicopter, we can get into the fun part and go flying with minimal delay.

Congratulations to the following pilots who have passed flight tests recently:

FIRST SOLO
Jim Campbell
Al Colman
Andrew Farquharson
Wes Maas
Michael White
Gavin Zell

PPL
Peter Butler
Andrew Farquharson
Wes Maas
Gavin Zell

NVFR
Lee Apps
Mike Hayes

CPL
Wayne Bray
Richard Johns
Brett Sandvoss

Flight Instructor
Mark Cavanagh
Brett Hunter
Peter Renshaw